1765 Smallpox Census

1765 Smallpox Census

In 1765, there was fear of an outbreak of smallpox. The Stratford authorities wanted to establish the cost of inoculating the townspeople who were at risk of catching it. They therefore needed to work out how many of these there were. Those who had already had smallpox could be discounted as they were immune to another attack. Those people living in the town but legally settled in other parishes could also be left out of the equation because it was not the Stratford’s responsibility to look after them. The investigation carried out to establish these facts resulted in a unique 'census'. It lists the names of the householders and the numbers in their household, with information entered under a further seven headings to provide the statistical information needed. It is invaluable not only for identifying the names of Stratford families but also for the evidence it provides of family size, the incidence of smallpox and the migration of poorer families, as indicated by their place of legal settlement.

For ease of reference, details under five of the headings have not been incorporated into this database as their interest lies only in the totals. These came to:
Number of people legally settled in Stratford Borough : 619
Number of people legally settled in Old Stratford : 192
Number of those who had not had smallpox : 166
Number not legally settled either in Stratford Borough or Old Stratford : 461
Number of those who had not had smallpox : 228